Device for actuating valves.



' N0. 688,705. Patented Dec. l0, mm.

B. L. SHAINWALD, .IR. DEVICE FOR ACTUATING VALVES.

(Application filed Apr. 29, 1901.)

(No Model.)

w l I W I INVENTOR: By kziv Atirirnzy WITNESSES:

' un" I THE Nonms PETERS co, PRoTo-u'muu YWASHINGTOMPV c4 which isoperated by the foot instead of by UNITED STATES :FFICE.

PATENT DEVICE FOR ACTUATING VALVES.

$IPECIFICATTON forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 688,705, datedDecember 10, 190 1. Application filed April 29, 1901. Serial-1N0.57,897. (No model.)

ToaZZ whom) it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RALPH L. SHAINWALD, Jr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, New York city, NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Devices forActuating Valves, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in devicesfor actuating valves,and especially steam-valves with vertical spindles,which are used toopen and close steam-radiators. It relates particularly to that class ofdevice hand and in which a spring operates to lift the spindle of thevalve when the actuating device is moved by the foot and to close andlock it when pressure, either by hand or by foot, is exerted upon theproper. part of the device.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingsheet of drawings, in which 7 Figure 1 is a vertical section of anordinary stearn-radiator valve, showing the device attached. Fig. 2 is aside view of the cap of the device with the lower portion partly brokenaway. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of an alternative form of the devicewithout the valve itself. the upper part of the device on the lines 4 4of Fig. 3 looking down in the direction of the arrow. h

Similar letters and numerals refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

In the drawings, Arepresents the exterior shell of the valve, B theinlet, and O the outlet. D is the valve-disk. E is the valveseat. F isthe vertical spindle, to which the valve-disk D is attached, and G isthe vertical bearing in the valve head or bonnet I, in which the spindlemoves, The head I is provided on its upper exterior periphery with ascrew-thread 1. A gland-nut 2 has threads out upon its inner surface, soas to engage with and screw down over the upper end of the head I. Asuitable gland-ring 4 is provided for the purposes-of compressing thepacking 5 when pressure is applied by the screwing down of the gland-nut2. All of those parts are common to any valve used Fig. 4 is across-section of with steam-radiators and need not be further described.

i The upper end of the gland-nut 2 is provided with a beveled flange 6,the purpose of which will hereinafter be described. The upper end of thespindle F is provided with a screw-thread 7, over which a collar 8 isscrewed. Between the collar 8 and the top of the gland-nut 2 is placed aspring 9, confined between these parts, the upper and lower ends ofwhich engage with seats or openings 10 and 11, cut in the head of thegland-nut 2 and in the lower face of the collar 8, respectively. Thecollar Sis threaded internally and made fast on the spindle by means ofa lock-nut 12, which screws down over the end of the spindle F, asshown, and permitting of adjustment of collar 8. The upper end of thespindle F is surmounted by a cylindrical cap J, of suitable metal, theupper face of which, 13, is inclined at any convenient angle withreference to the front, so as to afford a convenient surface on which toplace the foot. The cap J is placed over the top of the spindle F, andbetween it and the upper face of the collar 8 is placed a second spring14 of considerablygreater tension than the spring 9. For the purposes ofpreventing the cap J from rotating a slot 15 is formed in the cap on theside of the lowest point of the inclined surface 13, and a screw 16 isinserted, which screws into theperiphery of the collar 8. For thepurpose of enabling the cap to be turned so as position for workingwithout reference to the situation of the valve a number of seats 10 areprovided upon the top of the gland-nut 2, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, inwhich the end of the spring is fitted according to the particularposition to be assumed by the cap. In this manner the cap may be soadjusted as readily to operate the valve in practically any position.The inner rear surface of the cap J is provided with a series ofreceding ratchetteeth 17, out upon a portion of the inner surface of thecap, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Any convenient number of them may beemployed. These serve to engage with the sharp beveled flange or face 6of the gland-nut 3 in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and and to hold topresent the inclined surface at the proper the cap at any desired point,substantially in the manner shown.

The valve D is normally held in an open position, as shown in Fig. 1, bymeans of the expansive force of the spring 9. When, however, pressure isexerted upon the surface 13 of the cap J through the medium ofthe spring14, the valve descends and closes, and therefore any device which willoperate to hold the spring 14 down and compress it will operate to closethe valve. The yielding of the spring 14 after the valve has been seatedallows the cap J to descend a further distance, equal to one or more ofthe ratchet-teeth and when the teeth engage the flange 6 the spring isfurther compressed and a constant force is exerted on the valve equal tothe difference in pressure exerted by the two springs 14 and 9. A thirdspring H is provided, which, though not indispensable, serves as acushioning-spring and relieves the pressure upon the valve-head when thevalve is opened.

The method of operation is as follows: When it is desired to close thevalve, the cap J is pressed down by the foot until the valve is closed.The spring 14 will then begin to be compressed, and the cap J will lockonto the beveled flange 6, and the closed valve will then become locked.It is evident that the harder the spring 14 is compressed the tighterwill the cap be locked. This is due to the action of the upper part ofthe spring 14, which by meeting the top of cap J to the front andeccentrically serves to press inward the ratchet side of the cap, thuseconomically performing an operation which oth erwise would he achievedonly by placing another spring between the front of cap J and thegland-nut 2. It'will be obvious that when the cap J is moved in thedirection shown by the arrow in Fig. 1 and connection is broken betweenthe beveled flange 6 and the particular ratchet-tooth with which thesame is engaged the cap J will be released, the spring 9 will expand,and the valve will resume the position shown in Fig. 1. It will also beobvious that this may be effected in any desired manner, either by thehand or by foot, as only very slight pressure will be necessary toeflfect this disengagement.

In the form shown in Fig. 3 two springs made of a single piece of wire-are used instead of the two separate springs 9 and 14:, (shown in Fig.1,) and the desired difference in force required to compress them iseffectedv by varying the pitch of the coils of the two portions. Thedivision of the spring is effected by a plate 18, provided with anopening 19, through which the wire passes, and which plate is adjustably looked upon the screw-thread 7 of the spindle by two lock nuts 20 and21, as there shown. The upper end of the spring is turned in such amanner as to engage with a seat 22 in the upper end of the cap J, whichprevents the cap from turning in the same manner as the screw 16 does inthe construction shown in Fig. 1. There is no difference in principlebetween the two constructions, the only efiect being that the twosprings are united together instead of being separate.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with a valve having avertical spindle, of a spring acting upwardly on the spindle, a devicefor locking the spindle after it is depressed and a spring actingdownwardly on the spindle for keeping the valve seated, after locking.

2. The combination with a valve having a vertical spindle, of a springacting upwardly on the spindle, a device for locking-the spindle afterit is depressed, a spring acting downwardly on the spindle for keepingthe valve seated after locking, and a spring for causing the spindlewhen released to rise gradually.

3. The combination with a valve having a vertical spindle, of a springacting upwardly upon the spindle, and surrounding the same, acylindrical metal cap surrounding the spindle and spring providedinteriorly, on one side with receding ratchets, a circular projectingflange on the gland-cap of the valve, with which the ratchets engage andlock the spindle when it has descended and a spring acting downwardlyupon the spindle which keeps the valve seated after looking.

4. The combination with a valve having a vertical spindle, of a springacting upwardly upon the spindle, a cylindrical metal cap providedinteriorly on one side with receding ratchet-teeth surrounding thespindle and spring, a circular projecting flange on the gland-cap of thevalve into which said ratchetteeth look, a spring acting downwardly uponthe spindle, which keeps the valve seated after looking and a device forkeeping the cap from turning around the spindle after it has been set tothe desired position.

5. The combination with a valve having a vertical spindle, of a springsurrounding the spindle and divided into two parts of difierent pitch,one acting upwardly thereon, to keep the valve seated after locking, acylindrical metal cap surrounding the spindle and spring, providedinteriorly on one side with receding ratchet, a circular projectingflange on the gland-cap of the valve, into which said ratchet-teethlook, a device for keeping the cap from turning around the spindle afterit has been set to the desired position, and a spring for causing thespindle when released to rise gradually.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of two witnesses, this 26th day of April,

RALPH L. SHAINWALD, JR. Witnesses:

MAURICE WERTHEIM, JAMES Rosoon NASH.

